Spanish Police Arrest 30 People In Relation To Deportivo Fan’s Death

Spanish police have made a series of arrests today in an operation relating to the death of a Deportivo La Coruna fan, who died as a result of the fighting that took place between rival ultras groups in Madrid last month.

During the hours before November 30th’s match between Atletico Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna, fighting between the Frente Atletico (ultras group of Atletico Madrid) and Riazor Blues (ultras group of Deportivo La Coruna) took place near the Vicente Calderon.

The victim, who was reportedly a member of Raizor Blues, passed away at Madrid’s Hospital Clinico San Carlos after being pulled out of the Manzanares river having suffered from cardiac arrest, hypothermia and head injuries.

Reports state that the individual was beaten and thrown over the handrail and into the river, where he struggled to keep afloat for 20 minutes before being pulled out and treat by an ambulance crew.

At the time, twenty-one people were taken into custody and a number of others were identified as “troublemakers” by Spanish police.

This morning, the Spanish newspaper El Pais is reporting that 30 people have been detained and amongst these detainees, two are direct suspects relating to the death of Francisco Jose Romero Taboada (the Deportivo fan). All of the individuals arrested are understood to be members of the Frente Atletico.

The operation has been code-named “Neptuno” by the police and is being carried out with the Madrid Intelligence Department and the Anti-Disturbance division of the police. The operation began the day of the incident and arrests have been made in Madrid, Avila, Cuenca, Talavera and Toledo.

About The Author

Although a college basketball coach for sixteen years on the NCAA Division I and II levels, Peter has been an avid football fan for more than half his life. He considers himself a student of coaching and team management.
As well as coaching, Peter has spent time working in Sports Information at various colleges and universities. His articles on European football have been picked up by Bleacher Report UK, International Business Times UK and USA Today.
Twitter: @CoachPeteQuinn